The Mysterious Brunette
by TwilightPony21
Summary: A blog entry from Callen's neighbor. A little missing scene for 5x06 and 5x07. Kensi/Callen.


**Just a little Callen/Kensi drabble to spark your imagination. Thanks to MyMelo for encouraging me to post it. Thanks to all for reading!**

* * *

"What do you got, Eric?"

Sam Hanna strode purposefully into Ops, his eyes fixated on the large screen ahead of him.

"A mysterious brunette," the computer tech replied.

"What?"

"Actually that's what Callen got this morning," Nell explained. "According to his neighbor."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Elise's latest blog entry."

Eric and Nell were sitting side by side at the computer, and they quickly motioned to Sam to read over their shoulder.

"He's dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, as if he's going to the gym," Sam read. "I don't usually see him leave in the morning, but today he appears to be delayed due to car trouble."

~*~o~*~

_I can clearly see the flat tire from my neighboring window. He's already looking for something in the trunk – the jack, I think – but it isn't there. Instead, he pulls out his phone and makes a call to someone I hope is his mechanic. It's a short conversation, and he curses in frustration. Not only does his car have a flat tire, but I think his phone battery is dead now._

_He must have gotten part of the message through, as it doesn't take long for another car to pull into his driveway. The driver's door opens, and a pair of long, graceful legs step out. They're covered in plain blue jeans, and she wears a red plaid shirt, her shoulders framed by thick, wavy brunette tresses._

_His mechanic?_

_She says something to him and gives him a friendly punch on the shoulder, and he laughs. It's as if she's teasing him for misplacing the jack to his car. With a somewhat smug look on her face, she takes the jack out of her car instead and also grabs a wrench._

_She loosens the lug nuts and then jacks up his car until the tire spins. She works without hesitation, with the knowledge of someone who's done this many times before, someone who's comfortable around cars and someone who's comfortable around him._

_She's stretched out on the ground beside the car, so she doesn't notice, but it's obvious the way his striking blue eyes watch her and admire her._

_He's impressed by her._

_She doesn't even have to say anything because he already knows when to move. He's big and strong, but his muscles strain as he pulls the tire from the axle. Then she helps him roll the spare tire into place. They work together easily, not only as if they've done this before but as if this is the way they always function together._

_Once the new tire is secured, she asks him to check something else, and he slides into the driver's seat to pop the hood._

_She examines the engine with a critical eye, checking the fluids and making some adjustments. When she closes the hood of the car, her hands are dirty and black, and she brushes a loose tendril of hair from her face, leaving a dark trail of grease down her cheek._

_He bends his head close to her ear and whispers something incomprehensible._

_She nods and follows him inside the house, behind the front door that keeps this man shrouded in mystery. And when she emerges, she's wearing a different outfit, jeans and a blue plaid shirt, and her hair is damp, indicating that she's had a shower._

~*~o~*~

"And so my mysterious stranger grows more mysterious by the day," Sam concluded.

There was an extended silence in Ops.

"Um…so I guess Callen had company this morning," Nell finally said.

"Elise sounds a little sad," Eric remarked wistfully. "Not happy that someone else could impress…Callen!"

Eric jumped as the doors to Ops swung open and Callen walked in.

"Hetty said we had a case?"

"Oh, we got a case all right," Sam said, unable to suppress a grin. His voice rose to a higher pitch. "A case of unrequited love."

"How did you—" Callen glared at the three of them as he realized what they had been reading. "I told you, I'm dealing with the situation."

"And so my mysterious stranger grows more mysterious by the day," Sam recited. "That's how you're dealing with the situation?"

"I've got it under control," Callen insisted.

"Not according to her blog."

"Anyone seen Kensi and Deeks?" Callen asked, effectively changing the subject.

As if on cue, the doors to Ops swung open again, and the two walked in, squabbling as usual.

"You're taking a big risk here, partner, taunting Mercury like that."

"Deeks, come on, stop with the Mercury already. It has nothing to do with it. It's ridiculous."

"I'm just saying, Callen was late this morning, you were later."

Kensi rolled her eyes. "Because I stopped to help him change his flat tire."


End file.
